A deafening explosion, a 20-meter high flame – the bodyguards in the car behind Karl Heinz Beckurts, 56, had to watch helplessly on the morning of July 9, 1986 at 7.32 a.m., just as they were after just 800 meters just outside the town of In Straßlach a bomb exploded on target, the pressure hurled the blue-gray BMW from Beckurts across the street and killed the two inmates, the Siemens manager and his chauffeur Eckhard Groppler, 42, on the spot. The perpetrators have not yet been caught. The Red Army Faction (RAF) made known about the attack at the time.
The Bundestag member Florian Hahn lays a wreath with the deputy CSU chairman von Straßlach.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
35 years and seven hours later, a small group of people gathers at the memorial on the outskirts of Straßlach, where it says on a plain gray-brown stone: “The victims of Karl Heinz Beckurt’s terror, Eckhard Groppler.” The CSU member of the Bundestag Florian Hahn and the local branch of the CSU Straßlach-Dingharting have called for this. Two wreaths that are already there testify to other people who have not forgotten the victims. A wreath of white flowers bears a ribbon with gold lettering from Siemens AG and the Beckurts Foundation. As some of those present know, the Siemens CEO Roland Busch and the chairman of the Karl Heinz Beckurts Foundation, Professor Christian Stegmann, were at the memorial that morning, perhaps also relatives. Another wreath with white and yellow roses and orange gerberas was laid “in silent memory” by the community.
Karl Heinz Beckurts’ company car was thrown across the street by the detonation. Both inmates died instantly.
(Photo: dpa)
Florian Hahn is at this memorial for the first time. “I didn’t even know it existed,” he admits. “You usually pass by here so often, on the way to the CSU Straßlach, the Deininger Weiher or the Roiderer,” he says. In future he would always think of this terrible murder on this trip. “The Beckurts and Groppler were victims of left-wing extremists who have not made a personal statement to this day.” They “brought a lot of suffering to a family”, but did not achieve their political goals with this act. “It was always pointless,” said Hahn, also with reference to the other RAF attacks, but also with regard to other terrorists, “for example, recently the avowed jihadists in Würzburg” – which has not been proven. The task of the state is to prevent all terrorism. “The discussion, whether left-wing extremist or right-wing extremist, has absolutely no value.” Hahn put down a wreath with “Unforgettable” on the bow.
Some of those present remembered the day 35 years ago on Friday. Inge Koch from Grünwald had come because she had once gone to school with Karl Heinz Beckurts’ nephew in Windhoek and because she still felt upset. “The whole family is special. I wonder why the terrorists chose this one.”
The two victims of the RAF attack: Karl Heinz Beckurts (left) and Eckhard Groppler were immediately dead.
(Photo: dpa)
Horst Schilling, today Straßlacher and CSU member, heard the detonation, although he was still living in Harlaching at the time. “I was just on the balcony,” he says. “Then a lot of emergency vehicles came and I knew something unusual had happened.” What, the Siemens employee found out a little later in the office. Kurt Berger, also a member of the CSU local association, has memories of the day. “My parents had a grocery store. They opened the door at half past seven and I was just with them.” A little later he drove to work in Munich and passed the wrecked car and a column of smoke. “I thought it was a car accident,” he explains. Two to three weeks later, the Federal Criminal Police Office in Straßlach determined that the officials had set up their base in the fire department building. All residents of the place were interviewed, every car that drove through Straßlach was flashed, according to Berger. The perpetrators, who probably disguised themselves as workers in a post tent near his house to investigate the habits of the Beckurts, could not be found to this day, despite all investigations.